Fred turned 50, and Julie invited a couple of dozen friends to celebrate. Fred is French, and the crowd was about equal parts French, other European, and plain ole American. Fred did the cooking himself- a huge assortment of nibbles (gougeres, smoked salmon and salmon roe, pate canapes, goat cheese on endive, and many more) and then boeuf bourguignon. And Fred put out some of his favorite wines
2010 Cazin Cour-Cheverny
Very good vintage of this. Citrus, flowers, chalk, nice balance. B++
2010 Savary Chablis
Tasty and easy, but not especially Chablisesque to me. A bit round. B
2009 Regis Minet Pouilly Fume VV
Midweight, good crispness, but didn’t float my boat as much as others. B/B-
2012 Pepiere Briords Muscadet
Dynamite! Full and electrically alive, great length, can age but so tasty now. A-
NV Jean Bourdy Cremant de Jura
Creamy/yeasty/fuller style, apple and lemon curd. B/B+
NV Breton “ La dilettante” Vouvray
I think I liked this, but no notes and no clear impressions,
2009 Baudry Chinon Blanc
Crisp, a bit of wax and wool, lemony fruit, good. B+/B
2007 Binner Riesling
Very popular, but I didn’t like as much. Somewhat exotic, with pit fruits and date aromas. B-
Fred decided to do a blind tasting. He had 3 bottles of 3 reds. He passed out a sheet, with some info filled and some leftout (so we know Wine #1 was a 2007 Loire, #2 was a 2011 Grenache/Syrad blend, #3 is a Bordeaux CS/Merlot blend). Multiple choice on rest. Good format, as even total neophytes had a shot.
Wine # 1 - at first the piney/herbal notes made me think Loire Gamay, but that settled down and it was straightforward CF. I got the CF but missed with a Saumur guess at appellation. Fresh ready to go Loire red. 2007 La Noblaie “Chiens-Chiens”Chinon B+/B
Wine # 2 - I was torn Rhone vs Languedoc, and choose incorrectly. Didn’t love this, too much jammy fruit, not real long, although there was a pleasant herbalness. 2011 Domaine de la Roche Buissiere “Petit Jo” B-
Wine # 3 - well, at least here I was pretty confident, correctly getting year, appellation, and even the exact wine. Straightforward classic claret, not a powerhouse, but drinking well with no hurry. Mild tannins, some acid, cassis and plum fruit with pencil shaving and forest floor.
1996 Ch. Lanessan. A-/B+
2001 Lesec Echezeaux - Not a negoce I really know, this showed quite well. Midbodied, elegant, red fruit and sandalwood. If I had to criticize it might not have GC weight, but it’s drinking well and was one of my faves. B+/A-
We did a toast with a few bottles of the NV Bernard Bremont Brut Rose Champagne. Full, red fruit with toast, yeast, and cedar notes, drinking well, full and long (this has been cellared 3-4 years) A-/B+
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.